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NC State Basketball

NC State lands combo guard DJ Horne from the portal

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1 year ago

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With Jarkell Joiner graduating and Terquavion Smith heading to the NBA, NC State needed to replace their guards.

Last week, they landed Butler’s Jayden Taylor to slot in at SG, and today they landed DJ Horne, a 6’1 combo guard, who will likely slot in at the point.

Horne is from Cary, NC so this was really a ‘come home and play in front of friends and family’ sell from NC State. He’s coming from Arizona State where he averaged 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists last season. Horn shot 35.5% from long range as well.

Watching some DJ Horne you will surely get some Jarkell Joiner vibes. He was tied for the second-leading scorer on the Sun Devils roster last year and is a true combo guard. This was just like Joiner, who was listed as a PG, but really was more of a scoring guard at Ole Miss. In fact, Joiner’s highest assist average in his college career was 2.3 before last season. Horne’s highest is 2.7 during his sophomore year.

I believe at this point, Horne is your starting PG. Some analysts think the Pack is still in the market for a true PG, and maybe they are, but Horne wouldn’t be much different, in terms of style, than Joiner was last year at the point. Horne’s handle is more than fine for what Keatts would be asking of him, and he is pretty slippery on the drive. I think

Horne and Taylor give the Pack a very good scoring backcourt, with good size, and while it might seem like there is no way to replicate last years backcourt, they really only shot 3% better combined from the field than the two new additions and 1% better combined from 3 point range.

Horne is a much needed addition for the Pack, but to truly improve from last year, they’re going to need someone who can distribute the basketball. They are losing 4.1 assists per game from Smith and 3.6 per game from Joiner. Horne dished out 2.3 last year and Taylor just 1.3. State fans do not want to see another team that just isolates and shoots. They want to see team basketball, and right now unless Horne wants to come in and show off a different side of his game, the Pack is a true PG away from being able to play that way.

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Papajohn
Papajohn
1 year ago

Saw an article saying we’re in the mix for Jaden Bradley. (although we do have our quota of Jaydens) He’s a 5 star, pass-first PG from Concord that played one season at Bama. Sounds too good to be true. And we might have backed off after Horne signed.
Not sure how we could fit him into the scholarship mix.

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Dof87
Dof87
1 year ago

I’m hoping LJ and Breon stick around and can deliver those missing assists. We need guards that can draw fouls as well.

If Miranda can score inside, and maybe another PF, maybe we can generate more assists through them.

Last edited 1 year ago by Dof87
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Rev
Rev
1 year ago
Reply to  Dof87

Yes! I thought LJ played with a lot of poise for a freshman. I hope he stays too. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins a starting role. On the other hand, I am glad Horne is a great addition. Having three people who can bring the ball up the court and start the offense is good insurance against fouls and, God forbid injuries. So we lost two guards (I really hope Morsell comes back) and now we have two transfers and a freshman coming in. Even with Miranda stepping up, we need another bruising big (or two)… Read more »

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Papajohn
Papajohn
1 year ago
Reply to  Rev

Last year the only transfer I was truly excited about was the Big South Player of the year, Burns. Joiner was a CG brought in to play point – did not have good assist numbers, Clark was too skinny to fight for the tough boards and his 3PT % was in the high 20s, and Mahorcic was a total unknown having only played 13 games at Utah. And none of those three were highly sought after HS recruits. And then, when the season started, those three started and Burns didn’t. And it worked well. You just never know. But I… Read more »

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NC State Basketball

Georgia Center Transfer Frank Anselem-Ibe Visited NC State this Week

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22 hours ago

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May 8, 2024

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Georgia Transfer Center Frank Anselem-Ibe (6’10″/215) was in for a visit to NC State yesterday, according to a source.

Anselm-Ibe was at Georgia the past two seasons, and was at Syracuse the two before that.

Back in 2020, Anselm-Ibe was a 4-Star prospect out of Prolific Prep in Georgia. 247Sports ranked him as the #18 player in the state of Georgia.

Anselm-Ibe hit the Portal on April 30th.

ECU Power Forward Transfer Ezra Ausar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago, and while things were looking good at first, at this point, it seems like things have reached a point of radio silence. From what I’m hearing, NC State would definitely take Ausar, but they aren’t going to wait for him either.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball Ranks 8th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early 2024-25 Preseason Top-25

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2 days ago

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May 7, 2024

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ESPN released their updated Way-Too-Early Preseason Top-25 for the 2024-25 Women’s Basketball season, and NC State ranked 8th.

8. NC State Wolfpack

The dynamic backcourt that took the Wolfpack to their first Final Four since 1998 returns. Aziaha James (16.8 PPG), Saniya Rivers (12.5 PPG) and Zoe Brooks (9.0 PPG) are enough to keep NC State near the top of a highly competitive ACC. How well a new mix of bigs fits in will determine if the Wolfpack are good enough to win the conference and contend for a trip to Tampa. The experience of River Baldwin and Mimi Collins can’t be replaced, so how well 6-5 recruit Lorena Awou adapts to the college game and 6-4 Boston University transfer Caitlin Weimar, the Patriot League player of the year and two-time defensive player of the year, adjusts to the upgrade in competition will have a big impact on NC State’s season. Previous ranking: 8

(ESPN)

ACC Teams in the Top-25

4. Notre Dame

8. NC State

11. Duke

12. Louisville

17. UNC

18. FSU

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NC State Basketball

The Roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball Team is all but Set Heading into 2024-25

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6 days ago

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May 3, 2024

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NC State does have 1 scholarship available, and could still add a player out of the Transfer Portal. With that being said, the roster for the Men’s Basketball team is pretty much set for the 2024-25 season.

Non-graduates had to enter the Transfer Portal by April 30th, and Graduates had to enter by May 1st. Jayden Taylor and Michael O’Connell both made public announcements that they were returning, but the closure of entrance to the Portal means that Breon Pass, Ben Middlebrooks, Dennis Parker Jr. and MJ Rice are all set to return next season.

In a world where the Transfer Portal has all but become free agency in College Basketball, with some players switching schools on an annual basis, it’s encouraging that Kevin Keatts not only recruited a Top-10 Transfer Class, but also recruited a majority of the eligible players to stay. Three players that could transfer entered the Portal (I’m not counting Mohamed Diarra in these numbers, who opted to go pro), while 6 opted to continue running with the Wolfpack.

As a result, below is a breakdown of the roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball team heading into 2024-25, realizing the Wolfpack could still add one player (this team is deep).

1 year of Eligibility 

Guard Michael O’Connell
Guard Marcus Hill
Guard Breon Pass
Guard/Forward Jayden Taylor
Forward/Guard Dontrez Styles
Forward Ben Middlebrooks
Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

2 Years of Eligibility

Guard/Forward MJ Rice
Guard Mike James
Guard Jordan Snell (Walk-On)
Guard KJ Keatts (Walk-On)

3 Years of Eligibility 

Guard/Forward Dennis Parker Jr.

4 Years of Eligibility 

Guard Paul McNeil
Guard Trey Parker

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Men’s Basketball 2024 Transfer Class Ranks in the Top-10 Nationally

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7 days ago

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May 2, 2024

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NC State’s Men’s Basketball team has picked up 4 players from the Transfer Portal this offseason, and the class ranks 10th nationally according to ON3, and 15th nationally according to 247Sports.

ON3

247Sports

NC State’s 2024 4-Man Transfer Class

Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)

Guard/Forward Dontez Styles (Georgetown)

Guard Mike James (Louisville)

Guard Marcus Hill (Bowling Green)

NC State still has a chance to move up in the rankings. East Carolina Power Forward Ezra Ausar just wrapped up an Official Visit to NC State, and things are looking good for the Wolfpack. ON3 ranks Ausar as the #67 overall player in the Portal, and the #15 Power Forward.

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